At the still-tender age of 21, Peter Yanowitz got what he considers his lucky break: A waitress he knew in Los Angeles - a friend who had gone there to be an actress - told him of a local band looking for a drummer.
"She gave me the excuse I needed to get out of Utah," says Janowitz, who grew up in Salt Lake City and played for the Boxcar Kids.The prospects of making the L.A. band didn't appear great.
"They had all gone to school together, so they were pretty tight." Somehow they loosened up and Yanowitz was in. They called themselves the Apples and began making music that was heavy on guitars and lyrics.
That was four years ago.
Today, the band has dropped a member, added a keyboardist, and changed its name to the Wallflowers. They have their first CD (self-titled on the Virgin Records label), are touring widely and are preparing to record their next album later this year.
The band has already ventured into Salt Lake City, at Club DV8 and the Bar & Grill, but on Tuesday night, they'll play in their largest Utah venue yet as they open for the 10,000 Maniacs at the Triad Amphitheatre. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
A modern-rock band, the Wallflowers nonetheless sound strikingly classic, probably because of their choice of instruments: classic Fender and Les Paul guitars and a Hammond organ. The sound is earthy ("organic," as Yanowitz calls it) and honest rock 'n' roll.
"None of us are amazing musicians," Janowitz says. "We're pretty much concerned with the song. We like simple chords and simple melodies."
Their album is strong, particularly on the cuts "Ashes to Ashes," "Be Your Own Girl" and "After the Blackbird Sings."
The Wallflowers' lead singer and principal songwriter is Jakob Dylan, the son of the legendary Bob Dylan, a fact that begs the question of influence.
Yanowitz acknowledges that just about every band borrows something from Dylan. "But we don't actively seek out any influence."
In fact, Yanowitz has never even met Jakob's dad. "He's been to shows but never comes backstage."
The connection to Bob Dylan is "something we try to downplay as much as possible. We just don't like to get tangled up in it."
(Dylanologists will undoubtedly note the irony in Yanowitz's choice of words there.)